Interview with Francesco Toccaceli – Lag Guitars and Gianfilippo Fancello – Martin Guitars
With the Acoustic Guitar Village just days away, we gathered some leading voices from the guitar world. We spoke with Simone Giacchetti of Algam Eko, a key player in the distribution and development of historic brands; Francesco Toccaceli of Lag Guitars, who is bringing iconic models and the new second-generation HyVibe smart guitars to the fair; and Gianfilippo Fancello of Martin Guitars, a legendary brand ready to unveil its new 2025 Standard series.
Simone Giacchetti – Algam Eko
Can you tell us something about yourself and the reality you represent?
Algam Eko is one of the largest Italian companies in the distribution and production of musical instruments and music technology. Our mission is to spread musical culture by providing musicians, schools, and enthusiasts with a full range of leading brands and a competent, customer-focused service.
What is your company‘s mission and main activity?
Algam Eko’s mission is to support musical passion in all its forms, offering quality instruments, innovation, and distinctive design. We want to support musicians of all levels—from beginners to professionals—helping them express their creativity and fully experience music.
We operate as the official distributor in Italy for numerous international brands, but at the same time we preserve and develop two of our own brands that tell important stories: Eko, a symbol of the Italian guitar loved by generations of musicians, and Lag, a French acoustic guitar brand that combines refined design and modern sound.
How does your business balance tradition and innovation?
What meaning does this dialogue have for you, especially in the context of Cremona?
Our business was born from a passion for music and respect for the artisanal tradition of stringed instruments.
For us, the dialogue between tradition and innovation means uniting the value of musical history with the needs of contemporary musicians: instruments that preserve the soul of the past, yet respond to today’s challenges and technologies.
In the context of Cremona, a city that symbolizes violin making and Italian musical culture, this synthesis takes on an even stronger meaning: participating in the Acoustic Guitar Village allows us to demonstrate how historical heritage can coexist with modern creativity, offering instruments that appeal to both expert musicians and the new generations.
What will you present this year atAcoustic Guitar Village? Can you give us a preview of your participation?
Francesco Toccaceli – Lag Guitars
This year, at the Algam Eko booth, we’ll be bringing some of Lag’s most successful models, such as the Tramontane 70 and the highly regarded Sauvage. But there will also be a major new addition: the second-generation HyVibe smart guitars. These guitars feature the new H2 processor, featuring a color display, a redesigned, even more user-friendly interface, and a more powerful processor. The HyVibe 10 and 30 series are being updated with new models, and a completely new line is being added to the family: the HyVibe 50, featuring more refined and elegant instruments.
Gianfilippo Fancello – Martin Guitars
The Martin & Co. booth will showcase the 2025 version of the Standard Series, alongside signature models from John Mayer and Shawn Mendes and the recently released Retro Plus models. The new Standard Series features several improvements over previous versions: an angled nut with a transition from the fingerboard to the neck, an elongated diamond, a vintage-style heel, a tapered fingerboard with a rolled edge, Golden Era-style bracing, and a Golden Era-style Modern Belly bridge.
